Leopold I of Hulstria, Sisula
His Imperial and Most Illustrious Lutheran Majesty, Leopold I, Defender of the Faith, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Hulstria, His Royal Northern Highness Great Prince & Tsar of Trigunia, His Royal Highness Grand Duke of Sisula, His Royal Majesty King of Pulond (b. March 24th, 2956, Fliederbrunn Palace, Kien, Greater Hulstria) is reigning monarch of the Hulstrian, Sisulan and Trigunian thrones, as well as the head of their respective State Churchs of Lutheranism. Kaiser Leopold I is the first son and child of Rainer V of Hulstria and Rosaline, Countess of Liore; his paternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Hulstria and Harriet, Duchess of Southborough and maternal grandparents are George III of Luthori and Rosemarie von Labsburg. Leopold I is the elder sibling to Archduke Franz of Hulstria. The Emperor of Hulstria is currently married to Anna Svatý-Poděbrad, Princess of Deltaria; the imperial couple have three children, Godric, Crown Prince of Hulstria, Archduchess Stephanie of Hulstria, and Archduke Klemens of Hulstria. Leopold I became the Kaiser of Hulstria in the year 3000 following the death of his father Rainer V. Early Life His Imperial Majesty Archduke Leopold of Hulstria was born on March 24th, 2956, to parents Rainer, Crown Prince of Hulstria, and Rosaline, Countess of Liore at Schloss Fliederbrunn in Kien, the capital of Greater Hulstria. Archduke Leopold was named primarily after Crown Prince Leopold, one of the sons of Heinrich I of Hulstria, who died before assuming the Hulstrian throne. Leopold also had an uncle named Leopold, a relative very close to his father, and one of the influences for his name as well. Military & Education Archduke Leopold enrolled into the Karl III Military Academy at the age of 19 at a university level, meaning the Archduke received educational studies while at the same time getting his proper military training; like his father and paternal grandfather Archduke Leopold went into the Imperial Navy branch of the Imperial Armed Forces of Greater Hulstria, being tought how to operate military ships and use communications systems on submarines, amongst other studies. For his general education Archduke Leopold took up the studies of political science and civil engineering. At the Karl III Military Academy the Archduke was also very active in the realm of sports and took part in many of the academy's sports programs such as swimming and lacrosse; Archduke Leopold at one point served as the captain of his lacrosse team and saw his team win the regional lacrosse championship for northern Greater Hulstria. The Archduke was also an active member of the Luthori Riding School in Kien and performed regularly. Leopold took part in many activites while in his schooling career but nevetheless maintained a strict disipline with concerns to learning and knowledge, traits instilled in him by his parents. Archduke Leopold graduated within the top 5% of his class with distinction and honors; he quickly enrolled into Rudolph V Imperial Navy Academy where he received his full military training. Following passing military training Archduke Leopold served on board the aircraft carrier, the HIMS Godric II, and then was put onto the HIMS Thague, a newly commissioned submarine where he was given the rank of Lieutenant. While serving on the HIMS Thague Archduke Leopold took part in the naval blockade of Sekowo during the later stages of the Great Sekowan War where the two states were engaging in peace talks, securing flanks of the Luthori ships near the coast. Leopold's distinctive service eventually gained him the rank of Commodore and was appointed by his father to become Vice-Admiral of the Imperial Navy. Crown Prince of Hulstria Archduke Leopold's paternal grandfather, Ferdinand II of Hulstria who had reigned for over a half a century, was a popular figure within the Hulstrian, and Trigunian societies. Leopold's father, the Crown Prince at the time, held the title of heir to the throne for nearly the same amount of time, and was brought up to one day become Kaiser litterally his entire life; when Leopold's father was born in 2912, six years had already passed in the reign of Ferdinand II. Marriage to Princess Anna The marriage between the Princess of Deltaria, Anna, and the Crown Prince was one both of compassion of one another and the establishment of a new Hulstro-Deltarian alliance that came out from the "Treaty of Heinrichgrad". The royals had originally met during a International Monarchist League conference when Anna's older brother, Valcav, presented his case to become the new recognized monarch of Deltaria; claiming Valcav was the descendant of the oldest daughter of the last Czar of Deltaria, Ladislav I of the House of Lineykova, Anna's older brother was contested by Leopold's paternal grandfather, the then reigning Hulstrian monarch Ferdinand II since he was a descendant of Ladislav I as well. The Rothingrens and the House of Svatý-Poděbrad, the latter claiming the Deltarian throne was Anna's older brother, eventually settled to take a diplomatic, and peaceful solution. The subsequent event that took place as the "Heinrichgrad Conference" held in Heinrichgrad, the capital of Trigunia, between the Deltarian, and Hulstria monarchies; their respective Foreign Affairs Ministers and Head of Government officials were also in attendence for this meeting. The Viceroy of Trigunia was as well at this conference; here at this historic meeting the two monarchs agreed on the proposal to allow the Hulstrian monarch to become the "full monarch of Trigunia", meaning there would be no Deltarian Tsar over the Great Prince. In an old agreement between Ladislav I of Deltaria and Heinrich I of Hulstria, the Emperor of Hulstria would reign as the Great Prince of Trigunia, acting as a representative to the Deltarian Tsar; however since Ladislav I was overthronw sometime after that old agreement was finished and the House of Lineykova was never restored after that, overtime the Hulstrian monarch became the de-facto Tsar and Great Prince. To formally and officially settle this, the House of Svatý-Poděbrad dropped claims to the Trigunian Tsardom, and gave the title to the Kaiser, Leopold's paternal grandfather. In return the House of Svatý-Poděbrad was given a dukedom in Trigunia and the three nations of Deltaria, Hulstria, and Trigunia entered an economic alliance. What was also established here at the Heinrichgrad conference was a creation of a "natural alliance"; the two nations pledged to have their ranking royals marry to soldify a greater alliance. This is where Archduke Leopold and Princess Anna came in; the two had already had an interest for one another prior to the conference, so the Deltarian and Hulstrian monarchs quickly gave consent to their respective sibiling and child, respectively, to marry to formally establish this alliance. A wedding was soon orchestrated to be held in Kien at the Hulstrian National Cathedral, the Rothingren's traditional location to hold ceremonies such as this. The newly recognized Czar of Deltaria, as well as the newly recognized Tsar of Trigunia, and Kaiser, Rainer V/I, both attended the wedding that included guests from the domestic political scenes of both Greater Hulstria, and Trigunia, including dozens of foreign royals who were related to the Crown Prince. Hundreds of thousands of citizens in Kien gathered outside the Hulstrian National Cathedral and Fliederbrunn Palace, where a subsequent royal ball was held. Hereditary Prince of Tirgith Emperor of Hulstria As the end of the century came to the close, as did the reign of Leopold's father as monarch of Hulstria; Kaiser Rainer V was entering into his late 80s and began to experience several health related problems and this resulted in the Crown Prince taking up an increased role in the royal spotlight. Rainer V was stubborn however, the Kaiser still maintained most of his weekly schedule, and still conducted many of his famous formal dances at Korlburg Palace must to the opposition of his personal doctors. Rainer V also kept his meetings with the Staatsminister of Greater Hulstria every week, keeping his eye on the activities of the Imperial Diet despite his health conditions; Leopold on the other hand, as part of these increased roles, took on more larger events such as foreign state visits, events in the colonies, and other public events mainly outside the Crownland of Hulstria. Kaiser Rainer V also called upon the Duke of Flieder, head of the Rothingren cadet branch the House of Flieder, to handle events he couldn't perform. The imperial family remained active and in the public spotlight despite the poor health of the Kaiser, as shown Leopold's and the Duke of Flieder's enterprises. Rainer V did not abdicate the throne, as his paternal grandfather Maximilian VII of Hulstria did in 2906; he remained the monarch of Hulstria until his death in August of 3000, 8 months after the start of the new millenium. On August 24th, 3000, Rainer V of Hulstria passed away at the age of 88 with family and relatives at bedside at Castle Hulstria in Kien; Leopold's younger brother and Rainer's youngest son, Archduke Franz, flew in from Luthori to be with his ailing father at the last moments of his life. Crown Prince Leopold immediately became the new Emperor of Hulstria following Rainer V's death; nobles and military personnel present lifted their swords into the air, hailing the new Kaiser, in unison declaring "Rainer V is dead; Long Live Leopold I!". Thousands had gathered outside the gate of Castle Hulstria, holding vigils; across the country similar occurances were also being held. Rainer V had grown up as the Crown Prince for his entire life and the public had litterally seen him grow into an old man; the death had hit hard especially among the elder generation and older members of the Hulstrian population who grew up during the majority of the reign of Ferdinand II's reign, and watching the then Crown Prince Rainer being prepped to assume the throne one day. A period of mourning was declared by Leopold I and the Imperial Diet was shut down for a week on orders of the Staatsminister; the Governor-General of Greater Hulstria had also ordered flags be flown half-staff by the period of mourning. The funeral was held shortly after the death of Leopold's father and several hundred foreign, and domestic, delegates attended the funeral. Leopold's formal coronation as Kaiser occured a few days after the funeral. The coronation was held at the Hulstrian National Cathedral and was attended by several foreign heads of state (many relatives of the new Emperor), and heads of government, including domestic politicians. Philip II of Vorona, who had been restored to the Archduchy of Vorona in the late 2980s during Leopold's fathers reign, was also in attendence with his family including the Hereditary Archduke of Vorona, Frederick; the attendence was seen as a move to solidfy the continuation of relations between the two Rothingren branches. Thousands of citizens waited in patience outside the Hulstrian National Cathedral and were greeted by the newly coronated Kaiser following the formal ceremony on the steps of the Cathedral; the Emperor, along with his family, would arrive at Fliederbrunn Palace to host a the post-coronation events which included a large royal ball. Leopold I had inherented a stable Imperial Court in Greater Hulstria; despite the brief stint of communist rule in the Trigunian Court before the turn of the millennia, monarchist rule still dominated the realms of the Kaiser, and the Grand Duchy of Sisula remained strong under the Barmenian monarch. Nevertheless, the Imperial Family of Hulstria still remained very close to the nobility of Trigunia; Leopold's younger brother, Archduke Franz, had married the daughter and heiress to the Duke of Kleiskva during the events of the communist rule. Leopold's cousins in Luthori were facing unsfavorable conditions however; Maximilian IV of Luthori was assassinated, leaving his 10 year old son, the Crown Prince, to take the throne the same year Rainer V had died. Such a high-profile assassination had not been conducted on a monarch in centuries like that; the news of the assassination brought back memories for the Hulstrian court when Rudolph V of Hulstria was assassinated in 2647 during a ceremony for the 1st Governor-General of Greater Hulstria. At the time of Leopold's accession to the throne, right-wing politician Wolfgang von Gröninburg was Governor-General and the aristocratic Wolfram von Smaragdwald of the KHP was the Staatsminister of His Imperial Majesty's Government. Tsar & Great Prince of Trigunia Leopold entered the Trigunian Imperial Court as the pretender to the throne of Trigunia; a surprise communist takeover put the traditional royalist nation under a brief fling with a far left-wing government that ended the rule of the House of Mashkov and abolished the monarch. The communist rule would barely last for three years, with it collapsing allowing the aristocracy and loyalists to the monarch to arise to launch an effort for a Rothingren restoration. At the coronation of Leopold I as Kaiser at the Hulstrian National Cathedral, Leopold was also coronated as the Tsar & Great Prince of Trigunia but in the form of a pretender, the first Hulstrian monarch to hold such a title since Maximilian VII of Hulstria in 2903. Leopold I remained close in communications with the Trigunian nobility and had received much support for the ranks of the nobles. Duties & Responsibilities Ancestry Gallery File:LeopoldCrownPrinceofHulstriaPortrait11.jpg| Early Painting of Crown Prince Leopold File:CrownPrinceLeopoldOfficialPortrait.jpg| Official Portrait as Crown Prince of Hulstria File:LeopoldCrownPrinceofHulstriaPainting11.png| Portrait of the Hereditary Prince File:LeopoldYoungAdult.png| Leopold as a young adult File:LeopoldIofHulstriaOfficialPortrait.jpg| Coronation Portrait of Leopold I of Hulstria File:LeopoldIofHulstriaPortrait10.jpg| Hulstrian Portrait of Kaiser Leopold File:TsarLeopoldIPortrait1.jpg| Portrait of Tsar Leopold Titles & Styles The Imperial Crownlands of Greater Hulstria: :Titles :* Archduke of Hulstria (24 March 2956 – Present) :* Crown Prince of Hulstria (14 December 2977 – Present) :Styles :* His Imperial Majesty (24 March 2956 – Present) :Primary form of address :* His Imperial Majesty Leopold, Archduke of Hulstria (24 March 2956 – Present) :* His Imperial Majesty Leopold, Crown Prince of Hulstria (14 December 2977 – Present) The Great Princedom & Tsardom of Trigunia: :Titles :* Prince of Tirgith (24 March 2956 – 14 December 2977) :* Hereditary Prince of Tirgith (14 December 2977 – Present) :Styles :* His Royal Northern Highness (24 March 2956 – Present) :Primary form of address :* His Royal Northern Highness, Leopold, Prince of Tirgith (24 March 2956 – 14 December 2977) :* His Royal Northern Highness Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Tirgith (14 December 2977 – Present) Archduchy of Vorona: :Titles :* Prince of Vorona (24 March 2956 – Present) :Styles :* His Royal Highness (24 March 2956 – Present) :Primary form of address :* His Royal Highness Rainer, Prince of Vorona (24 March 2956 – Present) Full Title: His Imperial and Most Illustrious Lutheran Majesty, Leopold I, Defender of the Faith, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Hulstria, His Royal Northern Higness Great Prince & Tsar of Trigunia, His Royal Highness Grand Duke of Sisula, His Royal Majesty King of Pulond; Lord Protector of the Eastern Territories; King of Mitrania and Budenlar; Sovereign of Greater Chadonya; Grand Duke of Hilgar and Kuratha; Prince of Vorona; Duke of Dalian; Elector of Tinako; Prince-Royal of Alduria; Count of Kremfurt; Prince-Royal of Luthori; Grand Duke of Barovia; Prince of Talmoria; Duke of Southborough; Count of Savonia; Grand Duke of Vojnov Pokrik; Margrave of Hradec Kralove; Palatine of Phönix and Flieder; Duke of Marchau, Straussia, and Traugott; Margrave of Hømvejile; Viscount of Ayelsbury; Duke of Chadonia; Duke of Lesser Chadonya; Duke of Garekavmo; Earl of Kane; Duke of Nusira Lionta; Earl of Pulond; Prince-Royal of Falristan, Roccato, Kenai, and Lagard; Duke of Reinfeld; Duke of Kathre; Grand Duke of Malchik, & Tirvoslavl; Margrave of Øivine; Count of Stary Kautsky; Duke of Tirgith; Grand Prince of Vorm; Margrave of New Yodukan, New Luthor, and New Liore; Marquis of Chaussée; Margrave of Varistad; Grand Duke of Belgae; Margrave of Kildan Olvar, Milrata, and Yulrath; Princely Count of Rothingren, Graaffsberg, and Veilchen; Duke of Franzstadt; Duke of Ziegendorf; Marquess of Mosjkojil; Grand Duke of Thague; Count of Kommenovsk, Morozorota, and Tirvoslavl; Viscount of Hannele; Count of Vesterbæk; Prince of Hennersdam and Korriel; Lord of Heinrichgard Orders Upon the passing of the Act of Imperial Orders in 2831, the Emperor of Hulstria was given the ability to issue imperial decorations or "Orders" to Hulstrians who have served in valor in the defense and protection of the Monarchy and commitment to Hulstrian cultural achievements; in the Act of Imperial Orders also designated Godric II of Hulstria, the monarch during the time of the passage of the bill, and future Hulstrian Emperors as the Head of these Orders: *''The Most Illustrious Order of Heinrich I'' *''The Order of the Phoenix'' *''Order of the Golden Star'' *''Imperial Service Order'' *''The Most Excellent & Distinguished Order of the Hulstrian Crown'' Category:Hulstrian Monarchy Category:Trigunian Monarchy